Wimbledon confident of successful campaign.

Next Wednesday night sees the start of another speedway season at Plough Lane with the GMB Dons aiming to build upon last season's improvement with a major push for honours, in this the third comeback year for the sport in SW17.

The season begins with the prestigious Tommy Jansson Memorial individual meeting in honour of the world class Swedish rider & Dons captain who tragically died in a track crash in 1976 whilst aged 24. All the 2004 GMB Dons riders will be on show along with a host of talented Conference League riders, all eager to claim the trophy won last year by Gavin Hedge.

With the top five team slots already pencilled in, Wimbledon team manager Dingle Brown is keen to run the rule over a number of riders eager to fill the number 6 & 7 berths in the GMB Dons line-up, with Andre Cross, James Clement, Gareth Hickmott and Jamie Courtney all eager to impress and line up at reserve.

Brown realises that silverware can be won and lost depending on the strength of the reserve pairing, especially with the new regulations preventing tactical substitution rides, "We have built up a pretty strong top five and I have a number of options as to the make-up of the reserve pairing. All the riders are keen as mustard and will be keen to impress before a decision is made."

Off track, the go-ahead Dons management have happily reported a 50% increase in season ticket sales for the new season, another sign perhaps that the good times are set to return to SW17 in the not to distant future.

This coming Sunday sees the highly anticipated Speedway Day at Asda Kingston where a large contingent of Dons riders and officials will be on hand to answer questions and sign autographs, and hopefully win over newcomers to the sport.

Dons Chairman Ian Perkin is keen to see as many speedway fans as possible support the event, "This is a wonderful opportunity for the sport to represent itself and increase its public awareness to a new marketplace. Hopefully this will be the start of a positive relationship with Asda/Walmart that can only be good for the sport as a whole."

Finally, Perkin and Musical Director Martin Richards have followed in the footsteps of Lennon & McCartney by collaborating on the first commercial for 107.8 Radio Jackie. With over 30 commercials to be broadcast over the airwaves of SW London each week until October, the jingle "No Brakes, No Mercy, No Fear...It has to be Wimbledon Speedway" will become a familiar one to all listeners of London's fastest growing commercial radio station.